Donate or Sponsor

Donate or Sponsor

We cover many of our operating expenses with ride tokens and admission tickets to special fundraising events. But we also need donations, sponsorships and memorial gifts to cover maintenance costs, provide rides to children from low-income families, add activities, and create special experiences and innovative programs for our visitors. The Silver Beach Carousel is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization so most gifts are tax deductible. We invite you to help us with:

Annual donations to our operations fund. You can make your pledge with payments once a month, quarterly, semi-annually or once a year.

Memorial gifts for loved ones or donations to honor a family member, friend, co-worker or graduating class on a special occasion or “just because.”

Special tributes in honor or memory of a pet, horse or favorite animal.

Planned gifts that will leave a legacy of happiness for future generations. Your gift will help us sustain our facilities, operations and programs for years to come. Contact us for information about arranging your gift.

Sponsorships of carousel items such as the ornate mirrored shields and rocking chairs or special events. Your personal or corporate gift will be recognized in the carousel house and in promotional materials.

You may give your tax-deductible donation directly to the Silver Beach Carousel or through the Berrien Community Foundation’s Silver Beach Carousel Society, Inc. Operations Fund. You can donate with:

Cash, check or credit card. We can accept your gift in person or by mail at 333 Broad St., St. Joseph, MI 49085 or online through our PayPal account.

Stock, life insurance or other charitable gift options.

Matching funds from your company. Please check with your employer’s program to see how to qualify for matching dollars.

If you choose to make your gift through the Berrien Community Foundation, please make your check payable to BCF/Silver Beach Carousel Society, Inc. Operations Fund and mail it to: Berrien Community Foundation 2900 S. State, Ste. 2E St. Joseph, MI 49085

If you have questions about donation or sponsorship opportunities, or if you need more information, please contact us.

Or donate your most precious gift – your time.

The Silver Beach Carousel could not operate without the help of our volunteers. If you want to help us create the happiest place in Southwestern Michigan – please join us – there’s lots of fun to go around. To learn about volunteer activities or to sign up for upcoming events, click here.

Thank you for giving wonderful memories for years to come.

Timeless Treasures

Keep happy memories of Silver Beach from fading.

Once in a great while, amazing opportunities present themselves. This is one of those times. A local collector, Al Schoenbach, owner of two of the original Silver Beach Carousel horse figures, has recently offered them to the Silver Beach Carousel Society for purchase. This is a dream come true! At last, we can bring two of the original horses home to Silver Beach.

These antique horses are exquisite! In fact, the stargazer figure is extremely rare as carousel collectibles go. It is in its original 1910 wood form and stripped of all paint, allowing you to see the actual knife marks of world-renowned Master Carver Charles Carmel. The other horse, a beautiful, bejeweled Arabian steed, is painted the signature Silver Beach Carousel white. Both would be priceless additions to the Silver Beach Amusement Park Museum and Carousel House.

But we cannot purchase them without your help. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we have limited resources and rely on the generosity of individuals and corporations to provide the donations we need to acquire, restore and maintain these icons of fun from our community's past.

HORSE OR UNICORN SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Stargazer

Rare, unpainted Carmel from the original Silver Beach Carousel

Sponsorship: $35,000

An incredible find! This antique horse, which stands in the classic stargazer pose, was part of the original Silver Beach Carousel and was lovingly watched over in a private setting. A rare collector's treasure, this figure has been stripped of its paint so you can see the details of Charles Carmel's masterful carving of the basswood. The carousel jewels and natural horsehair tail add to this steed's heirloom beauty. Your sponsorship will help us inspire all of our visitors to look to the stars and fulfill their dreams.

Arabian

Mysterious steed of the sands ... Carmel from the original Silver Beach Carousel

Sponsorship: $30,000

Many golden days ago, this intricately carved Arabian steed spun for hours over the sands of Silver Beach. Master carver Charles Carmel captured the refined, high-spirited strength and beauty of this magnificent, ancient breed. This horse from the original Silver Beach Carousel holds thousands of nights of happy stories from riders who mounted its back and rode into a mysterious land of flying carpets and wishgranting genies. Acquired and fully restored by a collector, we now have the exciting opportunity to return it to its home along Lake Michigan. But we need you to make our wish for a sponsor come true.

Enchanting Unicorn

Sponsorship: $10,000

Riding this dainty, mythical steed from medieval forests transforms its riders into princesses and princes. It was exquisitely hand-carved and painted by the masters at The Carousel Works, Mansfield, Ohio, and is on the Carousel at least six months per year.